Roe and McKenzie keep up title challenge in Trackrod Forest Stages

Chris Roe and Bob McKenzie kept up their challenge for the ANCC Championship with a strong finish in the Trackrod Forest Stages over the North Yorkshire Moors.

Driver Roe, from Redcar, and Skelton navigator McKenzie took their Vauxhall Nova to sixth in class and 37th overall.

“During the day we did experience a few problems but in general the day was good,” reported Roe.

“The stages were mainly good with just a few rough parts but that’s rallying.

“We started the event with some strong times and although we finished the day well it could have ended up very differently after heading over a crest into a 90 degree left in Gale Rigg.

“We were carrying far too much speed running wide and off the road.

“Fortunately the outside of the corner there was soft brash and we managed to bounce our way over it back onto the stage, losing very little time at all.

“Then on the final stage we lost charge from the alternator and could only hope the power in the battery would see us to the end.

“With everything crossed we managed to make it over the final control.

“The resulting charging problem turned out to be a missing fan belt! So I guess it should be easy to repair.

“We should have again scored some great points to keep us in with a chance of claiming the title.”

Victory went to Steve Perez and Paul Spooner in their Ford Focus WRC, ahead of Paul Bird and Aled Davies, also in a Focus.

Reigning Motoscope Northern Historic Champion Steve Bannister saw his chances of a third successive title fade when his Escort Mark II crashed out at speed less than a mile from the end of the opening Staindale stage.

Castleton’s Ryan Champion, Trackrod winner in 2006, also suffered a frustrating evening when his Porsche 911 snapped a fan belt forcing him to stop, to prevent the rear-engined car overheating, and take a maximum time penalty.

Tom Leonard bounces back to form in Buffheadwear Thundersport 500 Championship

Comeback king Tom Leonard bounced back to form in the penultimate round of the Buffheadwear Thundersport 500 Championship at Donington Park.

The Hartburn rider, who retured to the saddle after a long break this year, is a clear second in the standings behind newly-crowned champion Carl Smalley with just one race weekend to go.

The previous weekend at Anglesey was a disaster for Leonard.

But a win and a second place on day one at Donington hoisted him back up to second in the table and a third and a fourth on day two kep him there.

With just a second separating the top 11 in qualifying, it was always going to be a weekend of close action.

“Over the weekend we had groups of between six and eight riders all dicing for the lead, three,” said Leonard.

“Four and five abreast into the Esses on most of the laps was not an uncommon sight.

“It’s been a top weekend for us,” he added, “especially after the disappointments of Angelsey.

“Win lose or draw, being able to take part in races like this over the weekend has been an honour and a pleasure.

“It was uncertain until close to the line who was going to end up where, but enough can’t be stressed about the entertainment factor this series brings for riders and spectators.

“I’d like to wish Carl all my congratulations from myself and the team in his magnificent championship win. We’ve had some great battles.”

Stockton’s Kevin Liddle marked his comeback by taking the scalp of Smalley in his third race.

He clocked a second, two thirds and a fourth in the Senior Championship races.

Colin Mooney, also from Stockton, wrapped up second place in the Seniors series while Liddle’s nephew Jak was never out of the top 20.

Gaza sends lions to Jordan after war damages zoo

GAZA CITY: Three traumatized lions entered Israel from Gaza Tuesday on their way to a safer home in Jordan after their zoo was largely destroyed during the conflict in the Palestinian enclave. Austrian veterinarians from international animal welfare group Four Paws took charge of bringing the animals from the Al-Bisan zoo in the Gaza Strip to a zoo in Amman, obtaining special permission to pass through Israeli territory.

Amir Khalil of Four Paws said the lions — two males and a female — were in desperate need of help after their zoo came under heavy fire during the 50-day conflict, which ended with an August 26 cease-fire.

“The animals are stressed, violent and afraid of the slightest movement,” he said. “The animals are very sensitive and the detonations from the bombings and explosions had a very strong impact on them.”

The Al-Bisan zoo had four lions before the conflict but one of them — a female — was killed by Israeli bombardment. Khalil said the vets had treated several animals that will remain at the zoo and are suffering from a lack of food and water. They also removed shrapnel from the bodies of several dead animals.

The zoo is hoping to rebuild its lion enclosure so the animals can one day return to Gaza but no potential date has been set for their return.

The animals were caught in the crossfire during a conflict that killed more than 2,140 Palestinians, most of them civilians, and 73 on the Israeli side, almost all soldiers. It is also estimated to have caused some six billion euros ($7.6 billion) in damages.

The zoo — part of Al-Bisan City — was built by the Hamas government in 2008 as a tourist village to give Gazans some relief from the hardships of life in the Strip. The animals were all smuggled through tunnels that connected Egypt to Gaza, before the passages were shut last year with the ouster of Egyptian President Muhammad Mursi, a key ally of Hamas.

Concerns have previously been raised about the welfare of animals at the zoo, especially given Gaza’s limited resources. Last year two lion cubs died at the zoo shortly after birth due to a lack of experienced vets, food and medicine

Crathorne Hall: What do we know about the hotel's historic building?

Crathorne Hall is famous across Teesside and beyond as one of the area’s most exclusive wedding venues and hotels.

Overlooking the Leven Valley on the edge of the Yorkshire Moors, it was owned by the Dugdale family until 1977.

It was built in 1906 and is believed to be one of the most recently built country halls in the UK.

So what else do we know about Crathorne Hall?

:: It is set in 15 acres of private grounds and has been awarded four Red Stars - placing it among the top 200 hotels in the UK and Ireland;

:: The hotel has 37 bedrooms, all of which have recently been refurbished;

:: Minnie Driver is a fan of the hotel, staying there in February 2013 - and tweeting a picture of Lord Crathorne’s Old Bathroom. She was filming Who Do You Think You Are? for the BBC;

She said at the time: “I’m having a lovely time; it’s just gorgeous here. I’m staying at the lovely Crathorne Hall. We drove through Yarm and it was so beautiful, I just wanted to get out and walk around, but I couldn’t because I had to go to work.”

Minnie Driver -

:: The hall was once owned by Richard Branson and given a refurbishment to its original Edwardian standard - the Virgin Group bought it in 1989. It is now owned by Handpicked Hotels;

:: Crathorne village - where the hall is set - is in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England. The River Leven flows through the parish.

Live Crathorne Hall: Total of 18 fire engines called to hotel blaze near Yarm

A dozen fire engines have been called to a fire at Crathorne Hall in Yarm.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue service said that twelve appliances have been called to the incident, after they received a report of a fire at 10.02am today.

Cleveland Fire Brigade are assisting by sending four appliances to the hall, along with the hydraulic platform.

A spokesperson for the North Yorkshire brigade said: "We had a report of smoke coming from the roof space and dispatched a crew to investigate.

"Crews on the ground requested more appliances and 12 are currently there, or on route to the hall."

"There are no further details about the fire at this time."

Northumbrian Water has advised people in the area that they may experience discoloured supply.

Live updates from this event will appear below

Jamrat bridge can hold 500,000

The newly expanded Jamrat bridge in Mina can accommodate 500,000 pilgrims per hour during the Haj season, said Prince Mansour bin Miteb, minister of municipal and rural affairs.

“The streets leading to Jamrat, however, cannot hold these many pilgrims. As a result, only 300,000 pilgrims can use the bridge per hour now,” he said, while stressing his ministry’s plan to expand Mina’s streets. Meanwhile, Makkah Gov. Prince Mishaal bin Abdullah said preparations are complete for Haj. “The plan for welcoming pilgrims was successful,” he said, urging all government and private agencies to mobilize their human and technical resources to make the annual event a big success.

Prince Mishaal, who is chairman of the Central Haj Committee, instructed security officers not to allow pilgrims without Haj permits into the holy sites and impose sanctions on violators. Prince Mansour said the Jamrat expansion would help pilgrims perform the “Satan-stoning” ritual easily without risking being stampeded.

The government implemented the SR4.2 billion multilevel hi-tech Jamrat bridge project a few years ago to facilitate the stoning ritual in Mina, which used to witness stampedes, causing several deaths in the past.

“The expansion of Mina streets will enable Tawafa organizations to send large numbers of pilgrims to the Jamrat in coming years,” the minister said. Security forces will be deployed around the Jamrat to ensure a smooth flow of pilgrim movement.”

He said the Jamrat bridge has been handed over to specialized companies for its operation and maintenance after the completion of works.

More than two million pilgrims, including 1.4 million foreign Hajis, are expected for the annual pilgrimage, which will start on Oct. 2, with the faithful assembling in the tent valley of Mina. A number of foreign heads of state, including Sudanese President Omar Bashir, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud and Maldives President Abdulla Yameen, have arrived for Haj.

According to the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment, the weather in Makkah, Madinah and other holy sites would be milder this season, with temperatures reaching below 36 degrees Celsius. All foreign pilgrims have already arrived in Makkah. Pilgrims who arrived in Madinah have left for Makkah in preparation for Haj

Tax disc changes: How you will be affected and what you need to do

The paper tax disc is soon to become a thing of the past.

The DVLA is retiring this iconic, but slightly old fashioned way of proving you've payed your car tax, in favour of an online database.

From October 1st, everything changes. You won't have to display the disc any more, you'll be able to pay by direct debit in installments - and there's big changes to what happens when you buy or sell a car.

Here's our guide to the changes.

Do I still have to tax my vehicle?

Afraid so. Even though you don't have to put a tax disc on the windscreen, you'll still have to pay vehicle tax.

From October 1st, you'll be able to rip your tax disc off your windscreen - only it's probably best not to actually rip it, it'll be worth holding onto in case there's any confusion or complications when the new system comes in. (You could be fined £1,000 for failing to comply with the new system)

How do I do it?

In the new system, you'll be able to pay in installments by direct debit. You can choose to pay annually, every six months or monthly. These can be set up at the Post Office or on the DVLA website.

The direct debit option is only available for tax discs starting November 1st, but you can set up the direct debit online from October 1st, or at a Post Office from October 5th.

You can also pay for a year as a one off on the website.

If there's no tax disc to check, how will anyone know if I've taxed my vehicle or not?

The DVLA keep a database of the tax paid on every vehicle, and the Police and DVLA will check this to make sure you're up to date on your payments.

Traffic cameras with Automatic Number Plate Recognition will also actively cross-reference number plates with untaxed vehicles.

You'll get a reminder by post when you tax is due for renewal, telling you how to renew and how much it'll cost.

What happens if I sell my car?

You have to tell the DVLA that you're selling your car, and they'll give you a refund for any full months. If you're even a day into the month, you don't get that back.

On the upside, you used to have to apply for this refund if you sold your car. You don't any more.

What happens if I buy a second hand car?

Gone are the days of buying second hand car with "tax and test". From tomorrow, vehicle tax ceases to transfer with ownership of the car. You'll need to tax it yourself.

You can do this when you register as the new owner on the car, either online at the DVLA website, by filling out a 'New Keeper Supplement at the DVLA, or over the phone on 0300 123 4321

Unfortunately, because you only get full months refunded, if you sell your car part way through the month, both seller and buyer have to pay a full month each. Bah.

What if my car's off the road?

If your vehicle is registered as off the road (SORN) - for which you need to inform the DVLA - you'll automatically receive a refund, but again, only for any full months remaining.